Members: Correspondence

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter of 2 October 2006 from thehon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk on the Clean Neighbourhoods and EnvironmentAct 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: The hon. Member's letter was transferred to the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department as it concerns a devolved issue.

Packaging: Waste Disposal

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work he is undertaking with  (a) food processing companies,  (b) supermarkets and  (c) confectionery manufacturers to reduce packaging waste.

Ben Bradshaw: We have already introduced two sets of regulations to encourage producers (including retailers) to minimise, recycle and recover packaging and reduce packaging waste.
	The Packaging Regulations have helped to reduce the amount of packaging used around products. However, more still needs to be done to reduce the amount of packaging and packaging waste being generated in the first place. We have asked the Advisory Committee on Packaging to work with industry to find solutions to this problem and recommend ways of encouraging businesses to further reduce the amount of packaging they use.
	My Department continues to engage with retailers and the food industry to reduce the amount of food and packaging waste generated by the industry itself and by consumers.
	In particular, DEFRA's Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS), published in April 2006, challenges the food manufacturing sector to reduce its own waste by 15-20 per cent. by 2010. 13 major grocery retailers (representing 92 per cent. of the UK grocery sector) have also signed up to the Courtauld Commitment, agreeing to work with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in order to:
	(i) design out packaging waste growth by 2008;
	(ii) deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by March 2010; and
	(iii) identify ways to tackle the problem of food waste.
	Each retailer signed up to the Commitment has been developing its own programme of work with WRAP to reduce packaging and packaging waste. A number of retailers have now announced their own specific performance targets on waste and other environmental issues.
	In addition, several food and drink brandsand manufacturers, including some confectionary manufacturers, have now signed up to the Courtauld Commitment. WRAP will shortly be announcing further details.
	WRAP also provides technical and financial support to retailers and suppliers through an innovation fund. This is helping to identify ways of reducing the weight of primary packaging and the cost of production and transportation, mainly through research and development and innovative packaging design.
	Importantly, DEFRA, working with WRAP and the devolved administrations, has recently secured the agreement of UK retailers to reduce the overall environmental impact of their carrier bags by 25 per cent. by the end of 2008.

Railways: Smoking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that rail companies inform passengers of the forthcoming smoking ban on stations.

Tom Harris: The Department of Health (DoH) is conducting a significant communications campaign aimed at the public to ensure maximum awareness of the smoke free legislation before its implementation on 1 July. The Department for Transport has discussedthe issue of communication with rail passengers with ATOC and Network Rail and provided advice toDoH on issues such as enforcement and signage arrangements on the rail network.

Iraq: Asylum

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution the UK Government has made to the UN High Commission for Refugees for aid to assist Iraqi refugees and displaced persons; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has contributed 1.5 million in response to the UN High Commission for Refugees' (UNHCR) appeal for Iraqi refugees and displaced persons. The appeal will provide food, shelter, water and sanitation and legal protection mechanisms for Iraqi refugees across the region. This appeal is now almost fully funded.
	Our support to UNHCR's appeal is part of a wider 10 million contribution that DFID has made since January to provide emergency relief and other services to displaced and vulnerable Iraqis. This takes ourtotal humanitarian assistance to over 125 million since 2003.

Sudan: Elections

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking  (a) to assist the facilitation of elections in the Sudan in 2009 and  (b) to ensure that such elections are free, fair and inclusive.

Hilary Benn: Supporting a free, fair and inclusive election process is a core commitment of the Government of National Unity and the International Community under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and it is important that both sides deliver on their commitments. The first step is for the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) to formulate the Election Law and for this to be passed by the National Assembly. The Election Law will establish the National Electoral Commission which will be responsible for the running of the elections. DFID and other donors have provided support to the NCRC to assist in preparation of the Election Law. Once the Election Law is passed a full programme of election support will be provided jointly with other donors. This will include training for the National Assembly in Election Law to ensure effective scrutiny of the Election Bill, and support for a monitoring and observation process to ensure effective oversightof the preparations for elections, and the electionthemselves.
	DFID has already provided support for the consultations around the elections process, nationally and in the South. We have also sponsored a visit for four members of the NCRC to observe the Scottish Elections on 3 May. This will provide an opportunity for Sudanese officials to witness a mixed electoral system in operation, a model which may be applicable for Sudan.
	DFID is also working with the embassy on a joint programme to boost the capacity of political parties, and to provide training for journalists on the reporting of elections. Together, we have initiated a working group with members from the international community in Khartoum, which meets regularly to ensure that we are approaching this task together.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 315W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, on the Valuation Office, if she will list the mechanisms by which the Agency gathers and obtains information on whether a property has an outbuilding;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1327W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, on the Valuation Office Agency, whether the photographs of properties which are provided by Rightmove include internal photographs of the property;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 315W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, on the Valuation Office, what the Valuation Office Agency's definition is of a bathroom; and whether a room with a shower but not a bath is classified as a bathroom;
	(4)  whether  (a) solar panels and  (b) a small wind turbine would be considered by the Valuation Office Agency when assessing the capital value of a domestic dwelling for a council tax valuation or revaluation;
	(5)  whether the Valuation Office Agency collates information on whether domestic dwellings have  (a) double glazing,  (b) solar panels and  (c) wind turbines.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to theanswer given on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1596-97W.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant tothe answer of 23 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1731W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, on the Valuation Office Agency, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's guidance manual for staff on using the Market Comparable Reporting Tool.

Phil Woolas: Market Comparable Reporting Tool is the name given by Rightmove.co.uk to its archive database, to which the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has web-based access under the terms of a contract between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Rightmove.co.uk plc. Guidance on the use of the bespoke website was contained in Instructions and Advice issued to VOA staff on 18 July 2005. This document was placed in the House of Commons Library pursuant to a question from the hon. Member answered on 26 October 2005,  Official Report,column 447W and is available on the VOA website.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency has valued for council tax banding purposes the residential development of68 apartments and houses on the land at the former Renny Lodge hospital, London road, Newport Pagnell.

Phil Woolas: I understand a number of developments are taking place on this site. Council tax bandings are entered in the council tax valuation list as and when the dwellings are completed and occupied. One of the developments on this site by Crest Nicholson, which I understand comprises 68 apartments, is not yet ready and has not yet been banded.

Departments: Pressure Groups

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings took place between Ministers and outside interest groups between 1 January and 31 March; and what the date was of each such meeting.

Angela Smith: This information is available inthe Freedom of Information Disclosure Log on the Communities and Local Government website at the following links:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l509991for meetings in January;
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l509529for meetings in February; and
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l509989for meetings in March.
	Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Unitary Councils: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for consideration by her Department of North Yorkshire County Council's bid for a unitary authority in North Yorkshire; what recent representations she has received on the bid; what public consultations have been undertaken on the matter; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 27 March 2007,  Official Report,columns 71-73WS.

Valuation Office Agency

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Valuation Office Agency document Dwellinghouse coding: An illustrated guide was  (a) first published and  (b) last amended.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to theanswer given on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1596-97W.

Valuation Office: Contracts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason the Valuation Office Agency decided to sign the contract with Rightmove for a specific period of34 months with the 12 month option to extend.

Phil Woolas: Information connected with the contract between HMRC, parent department of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and Rightmove.co.uk plc is commercially confidential and cannot be placed in the public domain.

Gambling: Licensing

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department plans to take to strengthen its use of evidence to inform policy making as recommended in its Capability Review; and what assessment has been made of the use of evidence in developing the regulatory order to implement the Gambling Act 2005.

Richard Caborn: The Department's plan for responding to the Capability Review is outlined in the Permanent Secretary's response to the Capability Review(pages 5-8) and in Transforming DCMS, the transformation action plan. Both are published on the DCMS website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Publications/
	Implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 is based on evidence, including that generated by extensive consultation with stakeholders on a wide range of issues.

Gaming Machines

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of19 April 2007,  Official Report, column 713W, if she will publish the proposals that have already been drafted to ensure that gaming machines comply with sections 240 and 241 of the Gambling Act 2005.

Richard Caborn: The Department's draft proposals under sections 240 and 241 of the Gambling Act 2005 were set out in a formal consultation paper. I am arranging for copies of the consultation paper to be deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Sport

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the diversion of funding from the Big Lottery Fund to the 2012 Olympics upon  (a) the efforts of statutory agencies to promote physical activity and  (b) the Government's target of 50 per cent. of adults meeting the recommended minimum level of physical activity by 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Big Lottery Fund will be contributing just over 638 million to the1,085 million to be transferred, subject to Parliamentary approval, from non-Olympic Lottery proceeds to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund (OLDF) between 2009 and 2012. Naturally, this will affect the rate at which the Fund is able to commit and spend money in all the areas it supports. The Department has made no assessment of the likely impact on any particular area, as future programmes are for the Big Lottery Fund to design. However, the Government's intention is that no existing lottery project will be affected, and we have also agreed with the Big Lottery Fund that resources for the voluntary sector will be protected. On the basis of the Department's current income projections, the Fund should still receive approximately 2 billion in fresh Lottery income during the four financial years in which the proposed transfers to the OLDF will be made.

Sport

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how she plans to monitor the level of change in participation in sports and physical activity resulting from London's hosting of the Olympics  (a) before,  (b) during and  (c) after the event takes place; whether the Government have made any predictions of the likely level of changes; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: We currently use the Taking Part survey to monitor sports participation at the national level and to report on our public service agreement (PSA) on sport participation. Sport England's Active People survey is used to monitor participation at the local level We will continue to use surveys such as these to monitor the level of change in participation before, during and after the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	We have not made predictions about the likely level of change in participation; however the Government have set a very stretching PSA target to increase by3 per cent. by 2008 the number of people from priority groups who participate in sport. PSA targets beyond 2008 have not yet been set.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions his Department has been unable to fulfil an agreed whole-time equivalent number of staff in  (a) Ministry of Defence hospital units and  (b) NHS trusts in each year since 2001; and how much financial compensation has been paid as a consequence.

Derek Twigg: The number of occasions when the agreed whole-time equivalent numbers have not been achieved, and the costs of meeting these shortfalls, are detailed as follows. The relevant contracts with the NHS trusts have provided for the Department to pay for civilian locum or agency replacements only since financial year 2005-06. Before then the contractual terms provided for lower levels of payment to bemade by the trusts to the Department for the agreed service.
	In financial year 2005-06 there were 33 occasions when the agreed whole time equivalent numbers to be provided to NHS trusts hosting Ministry of Defence hospital units were not reached. The total sum reimbursed to the NHS trusts concerned was1.34 million.
	To date, 27 such occasions have been identified for financial year 2006-07 and the total cost of reimbursement has been 1.01 million.
	There has been no shortfall in either financial year in the provision of agreed whole time equivalent numbers to any other NHS Trusts hosting military medical personnel.

Defence

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Defence if he will list the formal  (a) meetings and  (b) correspondence which (i) he, (ii) other Ministers in his Department and (iii) officials in his Department have had in an official capacity with representatives from the defence industry since 1 December 2006; when each meeting took place; who attended each meeting; what the subject was of each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Defence Ministers have held the following meetings with defence manufacturers between 1 December 2006 and 31 March 2007.
	 Secretary of State
	18 JanuaryMet with representatives of Vosper Thornycroft and Fleet Support Ltd. during a visit to HM Naval Base, Portsmouth.
	 Minister for Defence Procurement (Minister for Defence Equipment and Support from 6 March 2007)
	10 JanuaryAttendance at a BAE Systems Leadership Meeting.
	15 JanuaryMeeting with representatives from BAe to discuss UK/FR high level working group.
	16 JanuaryMeeting of the National Defence Industry Council.
	17 JanuaryMeeting with representatives from General Dynamic UK to discuss the FRES project.
	18 JanuaryMeeting with representatives from British Nuclear Group to discuss decommissioning of redundant nuclear submarines.
	18 JanuaryMeeting with a representative from Ventures Business Research to discuss possible areas co-operation.
	24 JanuaryMeeting with a representative from Babcock to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	24 JanuaryMeeting with representatives from Currie and Brown to discuss management IT software opportunities.
	25 JanuaryMeeting with representatives from Carlyle Group to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	29 JanuaryMeeting with representatives from Agusta Westland to discuss helicopters.
	30 JanuaryMeeting with representatives from Raytheon to discuss a range of equipment issues.
	1 FebruaryMeeting with representatives from the Carlyle Group to discuss QinetiQ.
	22 FebruaryMeeting with representatives from Eurocopter to discuss helicopters.
	22 FebruaryMeeting with representatives from VT Group to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	28 FebruaryMeeting with representatives form BAE Systems to discuss munitions.
	1 MarchMeeting with a representative from Babcock to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	5 MarchMeeting with a representative from the Carlyle Group to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	6 MarchMeeting with Deloitte to discuss the Defence Industry Strategy.
	12 MarchMeeting with a representative from BAE Systems to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	12 MarchMeeting with a representative from MBDA to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	12 MarchMeeting with a representative from VT Group to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	19 MarchMeeting with a representative from BAE Systems to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	19 MarchMeeting with a representative from the Carlyle Group to discuss the Maritime Industrial Strategy.
	26 MarchMeeting with a representative from General Dynamics UK to discuss various equipment programmes.
	27 MarchMeeting of the National Defence Industry Council.
	27 MarchMeeting with a representative from the MBDA to discuss the Defence Manufacturers Association.
	29 MarchIntroductory meeting with a representative from Nexter with discussions including FRES and munitions.
	29 MarchMeeting with a representative from Finmeccanica to discuss a variety of equipment issues including helicopters.
	 Under Secretary of State for Defence
	1 MarchMeeting with a representative from Marshalls Aerospace to discuss the relocation of the company to Cambridge airport.
	6 MarchMeeting with a representative from EDS Ltd. to discuss the introduction of a new Veterans card.
	Each of the Defence Ministers may also have met with defence manufacturers on other less formal occasions during the period, including whilst visiting company premises or at party political events.
	Details of every meeting between officials and representatives from defence manufacturers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However there will have been numerous regular and ad hoc meetings since 1 December 2006.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to produce a revised edition of the draft guidance on termination of pregnancy in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) issued the draft Guidance on Termination of Pregnancy in Northern Ireland to interested parties on 9 January. The response date was extended from 16 March to 20 April due to the high level of interest that they generated.
	DHSSPS is currently collating the responses in order to produce a summary response document. The final guidelines will not be issued until after the Assembly is restored.

Arson

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of suspected deliberate fire starting were reported in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many people were  (a) arrested,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) convicted of arson and related offences in each year.

Paul Goggins: Table 1 outlines the total number of incidents recorded and cleared by PSNI. Table 2 gives prosecutions and convictions for the offences of 'arson' and 'arson endangering life'.
	The statistics in the table are drawn from two separate sourcesPSNI Central Statistics Unit and NIO Statistics and Research Branch. PSNI statistics include incidents which have been recorded but did not result in prosecution or any further recommended action. The statistics drawn from NIO Statisticsand Research Branch detail prosecutions and convictions. Comparison is not possible between the two tables.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Number of Offences 
			   Recorded  Cleared 
			 2002-03 2,598 141 
			 2003-04 2,136 200 
			 2004-05 2,011 177 
			 2005-06 2,333 179 
			 1 April 2006 to 28 February 2007(1) 2,281 153 
			 (1 )Data are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.  Source:  Central Statistics Unit, PSNI 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prosecutions and convictions for the offences of 'arson' and 'arson endangering life' 2001-05( 1,2) 
			   2001  2002  2003 
			   Prosecuted  Convicted  Prosecuted  Convicted  Prosecuted  Convicted 
			 Arson 32 24 47 35 43 29 
			 Arson endangering life 13 9 3 3 15 8 
			 Total 45 33 50 38 58 37 
		
	
	
		
			   2004  2005 
			   Prosecuted  Convicted  Prosecuted  Convicted 
			 Arson 61 39 39 21 
			 Arson endangering life 22 16 13 10 
			 Total 83 55 52 31 
			 (1 )Data are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included. (2 )Data for 2005 are provisional.  Source:  Statistics and Research Branch

Health Professions: Training

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which specialities used the online NHS eportfolio for Medical Training Application Service shortlisting in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: No specialities used online NHS eportfolio for MTAS shortlisting.

Locums

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost has been of providing locum cover for junior doctors in Northern Ireland attending activities relating to Modernising Medical Careers.

Paul Goggins: There is no additional cost for providing locum cover for junior doctors attending Modernising Medical Career activities as cover is provided by other junior doctors in the rota.

Primary Education

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what meetings have taken place between the education boards and primary school teachers on the implementation programme for the revised primary school curriculum for primary 1 and primary 5 classes;
	(2)  what training programmes have taken placewith teachers in each of the education and library boards on the implementation of the revised primary school curriculum for  (a) primary 1 and  (b) primary5 classes.

Maria Eagle: The education and library boards, as part of the strategic planning by the education partners within the partnership management board (PMB), have provided three days training for all Year 1 and Year 5 teachers during 2006-07, with follow-up training planned for the next academic year. Year 1 teachers have also been invited to attend local group meetings relating to Foundation Stage, and Year 5 teachers will receive training during the summer term relating to specific aspects of assessment.
	The boards have also been engaging directly with primary principals, as school leaders. Every primary principal has had the opportunity to discuss the implementation of the revised curriculum at a series of face to face meetings, in addition to senior management conferences which began in 2005-06. PMB has also established a principals' forum as a further means of engaging directly with schools and every school has a dedicated link officer from the boards.

Special Educational Needs

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much each education and library board spent on defending  (a) special education needs tribunal cases and  (b) special educational needs judicial review cases in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: It is not possible for the education and library boards (ELBs) to provide the exact costs of defending special educational needs tribunal and judicial review cases in each of the last five years as they do not hold records of the exact amount of time spent by board officers in preparing for and, if necessary, attending tribunals and judicial reviews.
	I am advised by the chief executives of the education and library boards that, for both tribunals and judicial reviews, an average cost of 5,000 per case in respect of cases which are eventually heard and 1,000 for all other cases is appropriate
	
		
			  Special educational needs tribunal 
			   
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 BELB 40,000 20,000 15,000 15,000 5,000 
			 NEELB 18,000 57,000 52,000 29,000 29,000 
			 SEELB 6,000 7,000 25,000 25,000 15,000 
			 SELB 24,000 16,000 8,000 7,000 3,000 
			 WELB 6,000 26,000 9,000 8,000 11,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Judicial reviews 
			   
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 BELB 0 5,000 5,000 20,000 15,000 
			 NEELB 10,000 0 10,000 5,000 0 
			 SEELB 0 10,000 45,000 40,000 25,000 
			 SELB 0 0 5,000 10,000 0 
			 WELB 0 0 0 5,000 0

Africa: Exports

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support the Government provided to British firms seeking to establish export agreements with African countries in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ian McCartney: UK Trade and Investment is the Government organisation that supports UK companies trading internationally. During the past 12 to 18 months they have assisted over 4,600 British companies working in Africa through its range of services. Services offered include helping British companies develop their export strategy, providing support and advice on market entry, advice on local customs, assistance in finding a local partner and understanding ways of doing business. Our ambassadors/high commissioners and senior government officials have helped British companies in their efforts to secure contracts in Africa by extensive lobbying with Ministers and officials. They are also in constant discussions with Ministers and senior officials to promote British expertise and knowledge.
	Working with their stakeholders UKTI has arranged 65 inward missions and 62 outward missions to African countries in recent years including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
	UK exports to Africa in 2006 amounted to 6,194,177 up 7.2 per cent. on the 2005 figure of 5,777,083.

British Sky Broadcasting: ITV

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from officials at BSkyB on its stake in ITV; and if he will publish those representations.

Ian McCartney: BSkyB has made substantive representations on its shareholding in ITV to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and to Ofcom in the context of the respective investigations these bodies have carried out into that matter. The reports submitted by the OFT and Ofcom to the Secretary of State on Friday 27 April contain summaries of the representations they received, including those received from BSkyB. Section 107(3)(b) and 107(3)(ba) of the Enterprise Act 2002 require the Secretary of State to publish the reports submitted by the OFT and Ofcom. Section 107(9)(a) of the Enterprise Act 2002 requires that these reports shall be published no later than the publication of the Secretary of State's decision on whether to make a reference to the Competition Commission. In accordance with section 118 of the Enterprise Act 2002, suitable excisions will be made to the reports of the OFT and Ofcom prior to their publication. The excisions will be primarily in respect of the consideration specified in section 244(3)(a) of the Enterprise Act 2002 which concerns the exclusion of commercial information whose disclosure might significantly harm the legitimate business interests of the undertaking to which it relates.

Business: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms ceased trading in  (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and  (b) the Suffolk county council area in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Value added tax (VAT) de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business closures. Although only 42 per cent of UK businesses were registered for VAT at the start of 2005. DTI data on the number of VAT de-registrations in  (a) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and  (b) Suffolk county council area from 1997 to 2005 are shown in the following table. Data for de-registrations in 2006 will be available autumn 2007. For comparison, the number of new VAT registrations and the start of year stock of VAT registered businesses are also shown.
	
		
			  VAT de-registrations, registrations and stock 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Bury St. Edmunds constituency de-registrations 230 205 240 250 245 230 275 260 265  
			  registrations 295 270 270 325 260 325 320 345 320  
			  stock 3,185 3,250 3,320 3,345 3,420 3,440 3,535 3,580 3,665 3,720 
			 
			 Suffolk county council de-registrations 1,605 1,620 1,625 1,675 1,730 1,785 1,835 1,775 1,695  
			  registrations 2,035 1,890 1,855 2,060 1,885 2,100 2,160 2,085 1,915  
			  stock 20,835 21,265 21,535 21,765 22,145 22,300 22,610 22,935 23,240 23,460 
			  Source:  Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2005, Small Business Service, available at http://www.dtistats.net/smes/vat/index.htm 
		
	
	In both Bury St. Edmunds constituency and Suffolk county council area the stock of VAT registered businesses has increased each year since 1997, as registrations have exceeded de-registrations throughout this period.
	VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million businesses were registered for VAT at the start of 2005.

Business: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small businesses that began trading since 1997 have subsequently ceased trading in  (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency,  (b) Suffolk,  (c) the east of England and  (d) England.

Margaret Hodge: While value added tax (VAT) registrations and de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business starts and closures only 42 per cent of UK businesses were registered for VAT at the start of 2005. Latest VAT data on the total number of registrations since 1997 and the number of these registrations that subsequently de-registered, covering up to 2005, are shown in the following table for  (a) Bury St. Edmunds constituency,  (b) Suffolk County,  (c) the East of England and  (d) England. Data for 2006 will be available winter 2008-09.
	
		
			  VAT registrations and subsequent de-registrations, 1997 to 2005( 1) 
			Number 
			 Bury St. Edmunds constituency New registrations 1997 to 2005 2,740 
			  Number de-registering by end of 2005 855 
			  Percentage still registered, end of 2005 69 
			
			 Suffolk county New registrations 1997 to 2005 17,980 
			  Number de-registering by end of 2005 6,125 
			  Percentage still registered, end of 2005 66 
			
			 East of England Government Office Region New registrations 1997 to 2005 159,155 
			  Number de-registering by end of 2005 56,815 
			
			  Percentage still registered, end of 2005 64 
			 England New registrations 1997 to 2005 1,423,420 
			  Number de-registering by end of 2005 537,625 
			  Percentage still registered, end of 2005 62 
			 (1) VAT registration and de-registration data are not available by size of business. However, 98 per cent. of the total stock of VAT registered businesses are small (0-49 employees).  Sourc es: Office for National Statistics, UK Business: Activity, Size and Location -2006, available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=933 New analysis of VAT survival rates data 1994-2004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.dtistats.net/smes/; SBS analysis of ONS Inter Departmental Business Register data. 
		
	
	VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register may not have closed. Only 1.8 million out of the 4.3 million businesses in the UK were registered for VAT at the start of 2005.

OM Energy

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department expects to cease providing support to OM Energy Ltd.

Ian McCartney: The key objective of UK Trade and Investment's Global Entrepreneur Programme is to create self sustaining, high growth UK technology businesses by attracting both worldwide intellectual property and entrepreneurial talent here. The latest phase of the OM Energy project will include the recruitment of highly experienced global management team to take forward the next stage of the company's strategy. This will limit the need for significant ongoing support from the Global Entrepreneur Programme.

Children's Centres: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children's centres he expects there to be in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex by 2010.

Beverley Hughes: There will be seven Sure Start Children's Centres in Eastbourne and 28 Sure Start Children's Centres in East Sussex by 2008. Local authorities will be planning the number of children's centres up to 2010 once they receive their allocations and targets later this year. There are currently two Sure Start Children Centres in Eastbourne and 10 Sure Start Children's Centres in East Sussex.

Education: Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1542W on education: standards, how many maintained mainstream schools there were where  (a) more than 20 per cent.,  (b) more than one third and  (c) more than 40 per cent. of 14-year old pupils attained a lower or the same level in Key Stage 3 (i) tests and (ii) teacher assessments in 2006 than they had attained at Key Stage 2.

Jim Knight: The information requested is summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of schools 
			  National Curriculum test  More than 20 per cent. of pupils at the same or lower level in KS3 compared to KS2  More than 33 per cent. of pupils at the same or lower level in KS3 compared to KS2  More than 40 per cent. of pupils at the same or lower level in KS3 compared to KS2 
			 English 729 145 49 
			 Maths 48 0 0 
			 Science 1,849 788 385 
		
	
	The DFES and NAA are currently validating teacher assessment data submitted by schools for KS3 in 2006. As a result of this ongoing work, teacher assessment data for 2006 has not yet been published.

Education: Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1541W, on education: standards, how many and what proportion of pupils who attained level five or below in the key stage three  (a) teacher assessments and  (b) tests in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science had attained level five or above at key stage two in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information requested is summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of pupils at Level 5 or below at KS3 who attained Level 5 or above at KS21,2 
			   English  Maths  Science 
			   National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment  National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment  National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			 2006 27,700 7.2 (3)  2,500 1.0   45,300 13.3   
			 2005 31,000 8.5 24,900 6.8 3,400 1.3 6,400 2.3 52,100 14.5 40,000 11.3 
			 2004 32,300 8.8 25,000 6.8 3,100 1.2 6,700 2.4 49,900 13.6 35,200 10.2 
			 2003 30,600 8.8 23,400 6.1 3,500 1.3 6,700 2.2 38,300 11.8 34,600 9.6 
			 2002 22,400 6.1 18,500 5.0 4,600 1.6 6,900 2.2 35,100 9.7 25,800 7.2 
			 (1) 'Level 5 or below' is defined according to National Curriculum test/teacher assessment level. The levels are B (working below the level of the test), N (not awarded a test level) and 2-8 for National Curriculum tests, and W (working towards Level 1) and 1-8 for teacher assessments. Pupils absent or unable to access the tests at either KS2 or KS3 are not included. (2) Percentages are expressed as a proportion of all pupils at Level 5 or below at KS3. (3) The DFES and NAA are currently validating teacher assessment data submitted by schools for KS3 in 2006. As a result of this ongoing work, teacher assessment data for 2006 has not yet been published.

Education: Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1541W, on education: standards, how many and what proportion of pupils who attained level four or below in the key stage three  (a) teacher assessments and  (b) tests in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science had attained level five or above at key stage two in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information requested is summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of pupils at Level 4 or below at KS3 who attained Level 5 or above at KS2( 1,2) 
			   English  Maths  Science 
			   National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment  National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment  National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.   No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			 2006 810 0.5 (3)  280 0.2   4,400 2.9   
			 2005 880 0.7 1,600 1.1 440 0.3 590 0.5 5,500 3.4 4,300 2.8 
			 2004 1,300 0.9 1,700 1.0 400 0.3 640 0.5 7,800 4.4 4,300 2.8 
			 2003 1,300 0.9 1,600 0.9 420 0.3 590 0.4 5,400 3.7 4,100 2.5 
			 2002 1,400 0.9 1,400 0.8 560 0.3 600 0.4 3,900 2.4 3,000 1.8 
			 (1) 'Level 4 or below' is defined according to National Curriculum test/teacher assessment level. The levels are B (working below the level of the test), N (not awarded a test level) and 2-8 for National Curriculum tests, and W (working towards Level 1) and 1-8 for teacher assessments. Pupils absent or unable to access the tests at either KS2 or KS3 are not included. (2) Percentages are expressed as a proportion of all pupils at Level 4 or below at KS3. (3) The DFES and NAA are currently validating teacher assessment data submitted by schools for KS3 in 2006. As a result of this ongoing work, teacher assessment data for 2006 has not yet been published.

National Identity Register

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what personal data held by his Department will be entered on to the National Identity Register; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) gave him on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 426W.
	Information that may be entered in the National Identity Register is specified at section 3 and schedule 1 of the Identity Cards Act. Information will be entered on the basis of fresh applications for registration when individuals apply for identity cards. There will be no bulk transfer of data to populate the Register. The Department has yet to identify any datasets it holds that might be used for verifying information to be recorded about individuals in the National Identity Register.

Pupils: Assessments

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils attained a lower or the same level at key stage 3  (a) tests and  (b) teacher assessments than what they attained at key stage 2 in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested is summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of pupils at same level or lower at KS3 as at KS2( 1) 
			   English  Maths  Science 
			   National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment  National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment  National Curriculum test  Teacher assessment 
			 2006 84,100 (2) 36,100  145,400  
			 2005 80,300 92,700 56,200 61,400 165,000 136,900 
			 2004 97,400 97,700 57,800 64,900 181,600 134,200 
			 2003 100,900 100,900 65,000 71,900 153,300 136,500 
			 2002 94,600 92,100 75,900 71,900 133,300 124,500 
			 (1) 'Same level or lower' is defined according to National Curriculum test/teacher assessment level and point score. The levels are B (working below the level of the test), N (not awarded a test level) and 2-8 for National Curriculum tests, and W (working towards Level 1) and 1-8 for teacher assessments. Pupils absent or unable to access the tests at either KS2 or KS3 are not included. (2) The DFES and NAA are currently validating teacher assessment data submitted by schools for KS3 in 2006. As a result of this ongoing work, teacher assessment data for 2006 has not yet been published.

School: Sports

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of schools in England which provide  (a) less than two hours of sport per week,  (b) two to four hours of sport per week and  (c) four hours or more of sport per week;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average number of hours of sport played in each school in England per week.

Jim Knight: Data is not collected centrally in the format requested. The 2005/06 School Sport Survey found that overall, 80 per cent. of pupils in schools within a school sport partnership took part in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport in a typical weekexceeding the 2006 PSA target of 75 per cent.
	In the longer term, the ambition is that by 2010, all young people will be offered at least four hours of sport every week. This will comprise of at least two hours of PE and sport during the school day and at least an additional 2-3 hours of sport beyond the school day (delivered by a range of school, community and club providers).

Community Development: Grants

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department 
	(1)  how many community groups have applied for a Connected Fund Round6grant;
	(2)  how much he expects to be allocated in grants from the Connected Fund in each of the next two financial years;
	(3)  what plans his Department has to increase publicity for the Connected Fund in future years;
	(4)  when the application process will open for grants in the Connected Fund Round 7;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Connected Fund grants in reducing the levels of gun crime in areas where grants have been made.

Vernon Coaker: 363 applications for grants have been received under Round six of the Connected Fund. An Assessment Panel will assess these applications on3-4 May. A further Round may be held later this year, but a firm decision on this has not yet been taken.
	Budgets for 2008-09 and 2009-10 have not yet been confirmed, so it is not possible to give any figures on funding that may be allocated to the Connected Fund in these years at this stage.
	We publicise the Fund through direct mailing to community groups, through the Government Offices for the Regions, and through local media reporting. This has worked well, with each round of the Fund substantially over-subscribed.
	The Home Office is currently developing an evaluation of the effectiveness of project funding on guns, gangs and knives, covering both the Connected Fund and wider project funding. The Fund supports one part of our strategy to tackle gun crime, which focuses on policing, powers and prevention. Many of the grants from the Connected Fund are for projects to support young people as part of the long-term prevention strand.
	Figures released on 26 April show a reduction of16 per cent. in overall gun crime in England and Wales in the 12 months to December 2006.

Dispersal Orders

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dispersal orders were issued by each police force in each year since they were introduced.

Vernon Coaker: Data provided by police forces shows that between 1 January 2004 and 31 March 2006 1,065 areas were designated with dispersal powers in England and Wales. The following table provides a breakdown of this total by police force. Data for the period since 1 April 2006 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Designated dispersal orders: January 2004 to 31 March 2006 
			  Force  Number of areas designated 
			 Avon and Somerset 30 
			 Bedfordshire 29 
			 Cambridgeshire 31 
			 Cheshire 1 
			 City of London (1) 
			 Cleveland 30 
			 Cumbria 2 
			 Derbyshire 22 
			 Devon and Cornwall 49 
			 Dorset 31 
			 Durham 2 
			 Dyfed Powys (1) 
			 Essex 24 
			 Gloucestershire 1 
			 Greater Manchester 45 
			 Gwent 6 
			 Hampshire 69 
			 Hertfordshire 20 
			 Humberside 15 
			 Kent 73 
			 Lancashire 18 
			 Leicestershire 30 
			 Lincolnshire 4 
			 Merseyside 70 
			 Metropolitan Police (2) 
			 Norfolk 18 
			 North Wales 16 
			 North Yorkshire 6 
			 Northamptonshire 67 
			 Northumbria 3 
			 Nottinghamshire 40 
			 South Wales 2 
			 South Yorkshire 16 
			 Staffordshire 30 
			 Suffolk 5 
			 Surrey 33 
			 Sussex 35 
			 Thames Valley 6 
			 Warwickshire 22 
			 West Midlands 123 
			 West Yorkshire 22 
			 West Mercia (2) 
			 Wiltshire 19 
			 Total 1,065 
			 (1) No areas designated. (2) No data provided.

Miscarriages of Justice

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is provided to persons released from prison after a successful appeal in court.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office established in 2003 established in the Royal Courts of Justice and advisory service to help those who have been successful on appeal. Help is provided on things like documents to establish identity, finding accommodation, signing up for social security benefits, getting onto a GP's list, how to obtain legal assistance as well as practical advice on day-to-day matters, such as obtaining a bank account. In some cases the service also provides longer term casework support and counselling. Successful appellants may also be able to claim compensation from the Home Secretary depending on the circumstances of the case.

Offences

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, to Question 131083, on Leyhill Open Prison, for what reasons it was not possible to provide the same level of information on offence details as that given in the answer of 13 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1134W, on prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since answering your PQ in June 2006 the Prison Service has adopted new procedures to provide such statistics. These procedures employ a smaller data set which is validated more rigorously. This follows errors in some figures supplied last year. This data does not include offence details which could be provided now only at disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what accredited alcohol treatment programmes with ring-fenced funding there are in prisons in England and Wales.

Gerry Sutcliffe: NOMS is piloting two alcohol treatment programmes in prisons with a view to accreditation. While no accredited programmes targeted solely at alcohol misuse are currently in place, prisons deploy a range of measures to support those with an alcohol problem:
	detoxification is available in all local and remand prisons;
	where alcohol is part of a wider substance misuse problem the full range of drug interventions are available;
	Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) run groups in about 50 per cent. of prisons;
	some prisons run alcohol awareness courses;
	an alcohol information pack and awareness video available for all prisoners; and
	the young persons substance misuse service for 16 to 18-year-olds has a particular focus on alcohol.
	Funding for alcohol treatment is not ring fenced.

Police Custody

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1637W, on police custody, how many police officers were involved in the deployment of Operation Safeguard between  (a) 12 October and22 December 2006 and  (b) 22 January and 9 March 2007; and which police forces were involved in each case.

John Reid: Staffing requirements for police cells being used as part of Operation Safeguard are a matter for individual police forces. These figures are not collected centrally.

Prisoners

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were serving an indeterminate sentence in each of the last three years, broken down by category of offence.

John Reid: Figures by offence group for the numbers of prisoners serving life and indeterminate sentences in England and Wales between 2003 and 2005, the last year for which figures are available, can be found in the following table. These figures are taken from table 8.25 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics for these years, copies of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the Under-Secretary of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management requested his private office to draw up a list of the chief officers of probation and chairs of probation boards who were thought to be positive supporters of the Offender Management Bill; for what purpose this list was intended; and whether any persons named on the list were subsequently appointed probation area chairman as of 1 April 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is entirely normal and appropriate for a Minister to seek the views and opinions of stakeholders throughout the progress of legislation. This can seek to identify positive supporters of the legislation and the Minister requested information on stakeholders throughout the legislation process. This is in line with the ministerial code. The process for appointment of chairs of probation area boards was one of free and open competition following the best practice of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Weir Prison

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 21 March 2007,  Official Report, column 975W, on Weir prison, how much expenditure, and on what, would have been required to keep HMP Weir open.

Gerry Sutcliffe: An investment appraisal undertaken in January 2005 identified that a number of significant shortcomings would prevent the continued effective operation of the Weare as it lacked the necessary space for workshop, education and exercise facilities and required extensive refurbishment. In addition the living accommodation was unsuitable and much had limited access to natural light. The review estimated that to continue operation for another seven years with an improved regime would have cost around 60 million on a net present value (NPV) basis.

Young Offenders: Rape

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many youths aged 18 years or under who were convicted of rape in England and Wales for each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The table shows data extracted from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform in respect of convictions for rape committed by youths in England and Wales from 1997 to 2005.
	
		
			  Number of defendants aged 18 years or under convicted of rape at all courts, England and Wales, 1997 to 2005( 1,2,3) 
			   Age 
			   10 to 15  16 to 18  Total 
			 1997 25 52 77 
			 1998 16 28 44 
			 1999 26 51 77 
			 2000 16 43 59 
			 2001 19 39 58 
			 2002 12 36 48 
			 2003 16 34 50 
			 2004 23 33 56 
			 2005 32 74 106 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Departments: Sexual Harassment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many complaints of sexual harassmenthave been investigated in his Department in the last12 months; and how many complaints have beenupheld.

Peter Hain: None.

Health Services: Wales

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on cross-border issues affecting health services in Wales.

Peter Hain: I regularly meet with the First Minister when we discuss a range of issues. My hon. Friend, Nick Ainger (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales), regularly meets with the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Services, when he discusses issues including cross border matters in the health service in Wales.

Children: Poverty

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in a household with neither parent in employment in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  C hildren in workless households  UK 
			   Number ( Thousand ) 
			  Spring  
			 1997 2,214 
			 1998 2,216 
			 1999 2,156 
			 2000 1,980 
			 2001 1,915 
			 2002 1,978 
			 2003 1,892 
			 2004 1,861 
			 2005 1,814 
			 2006 1,744 
		
	
	
		
			  C hildren in workless  householdsNorth East (spring q uarter) 
			   Number ( Thousand ) 
			  Q2  
			 1997 123 
			 1998 133 
			 1999 135 
			 2000 118 
			 2001 108 
			 2002 96 
			 2003 122 
			 2004 105 
			 2005 89 
			 2006 83 
			  Note:  Because of the small sample size, the data provided above should be considered as indicative rather than exact.   Source:  Labour Force Survey, Spring 2006. 
		
	
	To measure progress relating to children in workless households (CIWH) the Department uses the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS). However, it is not possible to disaggregate this data below Government office region.
	The information in the following table uses administrative data to provide the number of children dependent on workless benefits in the Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside. A timeline has been provided from 2004 onwards, the first year where the data is available.
	
		
			  Number of children in workless households 
			   April 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency 4,145 3,840 3,585 
			 South Tyneside local authority 9,020 8,405 7,895 
			  Notes: 1. The official definition of a CIWH is a child aged under 16 in a working-age household where no adult works. The administrative data is an inexact proxy for this as it charts all children under 16 in a working-age household who have at least one parent claiming workless benefits (IS, JSA, IB/SDA, and PC). 2. The administrative data does not incorporate in its definition workless adults who do not claim benefits. It also differs from the standard CIWH definition in that it includes children in households with both working and non-working adults, as opposed to a household with no working adults. 3. Furthermore adults working part-time may also be eligible for IS, and such claimants may be included in the administrative data. 4. The information on those claiming income-related social security benefit is not available.  Source: DWP Information Directorate.

Industrial Injuries Benefits

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reply to question 136417, on industrial injuries benefits, tabled by the hon. Member for Bradford North on 6 March 2007.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 19 April 2007
	Question number 126417 relating to industrial injuries benefits was tabled on 7 March 2007 and a reply was given to my hon. Friend on 14 March 2007,  Official Report column 371-72W.

Jobseeker's Allowance/Incapacity Benefit

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people who made a new claim for incapacity benefit in the most recent year for which figures are available in  (a) Pathways to Work pilot areas and  (b) other areas were in work (i) six months and (ii) one year later; and how many there were (A) in total, (B) aged 25 to 49 and (C) aged over 50 years.

Jim Murphy: In estimating the impact of Pathways to Work, independent evaluation by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found a 9 percentage point increase in the proportion of those who are employed 10.5 months after claiming incapacity benefit.
	The information in the table comes from data in the National Benefits Database and the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) which is likely to underestimate the numbers and proportions of people who satisfy the given criteria. Rollout of Pathways to Work has been a staged process and the figures therefore only represent the first two phases which rolled out on 24 October 2003 and 5 April 2004.
	
		
			   Proportion (percentage)  Total  Aged 25-49  Aged 50 and over 
			  New claims to incapacity benefit in Pathways to Work pilot areas: April 2004-March 2005 
			 In work six months later 22 11,560 5,950 3,400 
			 In work one year later 26 13,830 7,190 4,040 
			  
			  New claims to incapacity benefit in other areas: April 2004-March 2005 
			 In work six months later 20 110,100 57,880 31,190 
			 In work one year later 24 129,310 68,180 36,500 
			  Notes: 1. Data on employment is available to 26 November 2006. As such, the latest operational year of new claimants for which (a) and (c) are answerable is April 2004 to March 2005, and the latest operational year of claims reaching their first anniversary for which (b) and (d) are answerable is April 2003 to March 2004 (and thus relates to people making a new claim during April 2002 and March 2003). 2. The figures quoted in this response come from data in the National Benefits Database and the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).  3. Figures in this response are based upon periods of employment measured from the WPLS, which is based on data from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The figures given can only be taken as a minimum for the following (not necessarily comprehensive) reasons: (i) Some records show that a person started or ended employment at some point in the year, but the exact date on when they started or left their job is unknown, and therefore we do not know if they were employed at the points in time specified in this query. (ii) If a person's earnings are sufficiently low that they fall below the lower income tax threshold and so are not required to pay PAYE income tax on their earnings then there is no requirement to inform HMRC of their employment (although some employers declare these jobs anyway). (iii) These data do not include the self-employed. (iv) Poor quality personal data may lead to missed matches with benefits data. (v) No 'HMRC sensitive and secure' information is supplied by HMRC (for example, HMRC employees, members of the security services).

National Identity Fraud Unit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget was of the National Identity Fraud Unit and its forerunners in each year since 1997; how many staff the unit employed in each year; and what the Government's performance targets were for the unit in each year.

James Plaskitt: As a result of organisational and other changes it is not possible to separately identify National Identity Fraud Unit (NIFU) budgets prior to 2006-07. For 2006-07, the budget allocation for NIFU was 508,092.
	Information regarding the number of staff employed in NIFU is not available prior to 2003-04. In 2003-04 it employed 24.8 full-time equivalent staff. In both 2004-05 and 2005-06 it employed 19.1 full-time equivalentstaff and in 2006-07 it employed 20 full-time equivalent staff.
	NIFU did not have separate performance targets prior to 2005-06. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  National Identity Fraud Unit performance targets 
			   Number of arrest packs to be produced( 1)  Number of flags to be put on national insurance number accounts( 2) 
			 2005-06 500 3,600 
			 2006-07 550 4,000 
			  Notes:  1.  Arrest Packs From the documents sent to NIFU for examination and identified as being false/fraudulent, arrest packs containing the document and supporting evidence from the national insurance number (NINO) interview, an initial statement from the document examiner, a visual copy of the anomalies found and all relevant paperwork required by Fraud Investigation Service (Organised) are produced. The pack is then sealed and sent to FIS (O) for consideration of prosecution. 2.  Flags Part of NIFU's remit is the protection of NINO accounts. Where NIFU have found a NINO account to be vulnerable or believed to have fraudulent activity occurring on it then an electronic (flag) marker is put onto the account. Any benefit activity on the NINO account is reported within three working days by a reactivation report. This is then passed by NIFU to the relevant office for investigation, or confirmation that the person the NINO account belongs to is actually the person making the claim to the benefit.   Source:  National Identity Fraud Unit.

National Insurance

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) of 19 March 2007,  Official Report, column 641W, on national insurance, how many national insurance numbers  (a) are allocated to adults not resident in the UK and  (b) have been allocated to 16-year-olds since 2001.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 16 April 2007
	Information is not available as to how many national insurance numbers are in issue to adults not resident in the UK.
	Information regarding the number of national insurance numbers allocated to 16-year-olds is not available in the format requested.
	The vast majority of national insurance numbers are issued to people at the age of 15 years and 9 months under the Juvenile Registration Process. The available information is that between January 2004 and March 2007, 2,604,757 national insurance numbers were issued under the Juvenile Registration Process.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to improve access to information on financial support for families with disabled children.

Anne McGuire: The Government are committed to improving the life chances of disabled people, including disabled children, so that they have opportunities and choices that enable them to participate in fully in society. We also want to ensure that every parent of a disabled child or young person has access to, and is aware of, the financial support available to contribute towards extra cost benefits, principal among these being Disability Living Allowance.
	The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) will be working across Government to drive forward the development and implementation of policy to improve the lives of disabled people, including disabled children. It has a project looking specifically at strategic and inclusive ways of improving information provision to disabled people, with an emphasis on recommending and developing ways to involve the users of information in designing and tailoring it to their needs.
	The Disability and Carer's Service (DCS) is an agency that continues to focus on delivering improved services to disabled people and carers in Great Britain. This includes improving the information provided to customers and their representatives.
	DCS has established the Family Carers Group. This is a forum which allows DCS to engage and involve voluntary and community organisations in representing the needs of children, and young people who are customers of Disability Living Allowance, as well as their families and carers, in the transformation of DCS services.
	DCS actively promotes services to children through a number of outreach events specifically aimed at children to raise awareness about the benefits to which disabled children may be entitled. These included 'Kidz up North' on 30 November 2006 and 'Kidz South' on 15 March 2007. Both of these were events aimed at families of children with disabilities and on each occasion DCS provided an exhibition stand with staff to answer questions and provide literature on benefits available to disabled people.

Written Questions

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reply to Question 116900, on benefits sanctions, on lone parents, tabled by the hon. Member for Bradford North on 16 January 2007 for answer on 19 January 2007.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 9 March 2007
	A reply was given to my hon. Friend on 19 April 2007,  Official Report , column 784w.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 114W, on accident and emergency(A and E) departments, what assessment she has made of the reasons behind the increase in the number of admissions via type 1 A and E departments referred to.

Andy Burnham: Demand management, including the number of patients admitted as an emergency via accident and emergency departments, is something that we would expect the local national health service to look at and monitor.
	Data trends do suggest that there has been a particular increase recently in the number of very short stay admissions nationally. This is good patient care. Patients requiring more than four hours of care are entitled to the same levels of comfort and care as any other hospital patient. Patients may be admitted to assessment units or sometimes specialist wards where the next stages of investigation and care can take place in appropriate surroundings.

Dental Health: Children

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number and percentage of children under the age of five with tooth decay in  (a) Shropshire,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) England.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not available centrally, but data from a survey conducted in 2005-06 by the British Association for Study of Community Dentistry of children who were five years old is as follows.
	
		
			  Five-year-old children with tooth decay 
			   Total number  Percentage 
			 Shropshire 891 31.0 
			 West Midlands 15,866 26.9 
			 England 170,032 33.3

Dental Services: Manpower

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of NHS dentists.

Rosie Winterton: The latest available data shows there were 20,887 dentists eligible to provide national health service dental services or listed on NHS contracts in England as at 31 December 2006. This is around 1,500 more than in March 2005 and over 4,000 more than in 1997. Under the dental reforms introduced in April 2006, primary care trusts (PCTs) are commissioning an increasing volume of NHS dental services, which is likely to result in further workforce increases. In 2005, the Government expanded the number of dental school places by 25 per cent. in order to support longer-term increases in the dental workforce.

Dental Services: Manpower

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of dentists who practise in the NHS who were trained abroad.

Rosie Winterton: The available information isfor England. The latest information available is as at31 March 2006. As of that date, there were 4,163 dentists reported as eligible to provide national health service services in England who had qualified outside the United Kingdom.
	Fuller information including a breakdown by country of qualification is available in table 8 of NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England:31 March 2006, which has been placed in the Library.
	The report, published by The Information Centre for health and social care, is also available online at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.

Dental Services: Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average NHS income of NHS high street dentists in each yearsince 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The gross remuneration paid to providers of national health service dental services covers both the practice expenses incurred in providing services and the dentists' net income. Estimated average annual net incomes for general dental service (GDS) dentists with a reasonable commitment to the NHS, after taking account of the proportion of their gross income committed to meeting practice expenses, are shown in the table.
	The data covers dentists working under the terms of the former GDS, which represented the majority of dentists working in primary dental care during the years in question.
	Estimated average GDS net income for dentists with a reasonable GDS commitment(1), 1997-98 to 2005-06, England and Wales.
	(1) Dentists with a reasonable commitment to the GDS are defined as dentists with GDS gross earnings equivalent to at least 40,000 in 1993-94 in fees for treatments and patient capitation. This equivalent is calculated each year by adjusting figures to take into account the effect of fee increases. The equivalent figure for 2005-06 is 62,200.
	
		
			  Financial year  Estimated average net income( 1,)( )( 2)  () 
			 1997-98 51,200 
			 1998-99 54,300 
			 1999-2000 55,700 
			   
			 Break in series(3)  
			   
			 2000-01(2) 59,200 
			 2001-02 60,500 
			 2002-03 63,300 
			 Break in series(2)  
			   
			 2003-04 72,000 
			 2004-05 71,600 
			 2005-06 76,500 
			 (1) Average net income is estimated using the ratio of expenses to gross GDS fee income for principals who worked for the full 12 month period. (2) The ratio of expenses to gross income is estimated using HMRC tax data on the overall earnings and expenses of non-associate dentists. Average net income prior to 2003-04 is estimated by multiplying the average gross GDS payment in that year (based on BSA payment data) by the most up to date profit ratio available for that year (based on HMRC data). For 2003-04 and 2004-05, net income has been estimated using GDS payment data for each year multiplied by the profit ratio for dentists with a high commitment to the NHS for the respective year. The net income estimate for 2005-06 is based on the profit ratio of high-commitment dentists in 2004-05 (the latest currently available). (3) Figures since 2000-01 use a different methodology to calculate the contribution from other non-fee/capitation payments.  Source: Department of Health and Information Centre for health and social care analysis of NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) payments and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) tax data.

Diabetes: Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of people identified as having diabetes in England were offered screening for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy in  (a) each year since 2003-04 and  (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number and percentage of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy, broken down by years.
	
		
			   Number of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy( 1)  Percentage of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy( 1) 
			 2003-04 835,900 52.7 
			 2004-05 1,076,400 61.3 
			 2005-06 1,478,223 78.4 
			 (1) Data from local delivery plans returns 
		
	
	Latest data for December 2006 shows that 1,477,359 people, 81.1 per cent. of people with diabetes have been offered screening for diabetic retinopathy.

Eyesight: Diseases

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she made of the number of sufferers from macular degenerative disease in Hartlepool; and what steps she plans to take to provide sufferers with treatment to alleviate the condition.

Rosie Winterton: The number of sufferers of macular degenerative disease in Hartlepool are not collected centrally.
	In September 2003, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended the use of Visudyne in photodynamic therapy for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration in some patients. All primary care trusts (PCTs) are funding this treatment in accordance with NICE's guidance.
	NICE is currently appraising two new drug treatments that have been developed for treating age-related macular degenerationMacugen and Lucentis. NICE is expected to publish guidance in September this year. We have made it quite clear to the national health service that treatment should not be withheld simply because NICE has not issued guidance. Until NICE issue final guidance NHS bodies should continue with local arrangements for introducing new technologies, based on an assessment of the available evidence.

Folic Acid

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of the take-up of folic acid in women of child bearing age in socio-economic groups C2 and DE; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The most recent information available on folate intakes is from the 2000-01 National Diet and Nutrition Survey of adults aged 19-64 years. In this survey households in receipt of income-related state benefits can be used as a broad indicator of socio-economic group. The survey shows that mean folate intakefrom food sources in women of child bearing age(19-49 years) living in households in which someone was in receipt of benefits was 214 micrograms/day. When the contribution of folic acid supplements was included mean intake in this group increased to 221 micrograms/day. This level of intake is below the recommendation for women who could become pregnant to take a 400 micrograms/folic acid supplement.
	The Food Standards Agency has undertaken a survey of diet and nutrition in low income/materially deprived consumers in the United Kingdom. Results, to be published later this year, will include folate intakes.

Heart Diseases: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) Tamworth constituency,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) Staffordshire have been treated for heart disease in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	However, information relating to finished consultant episodes (FCE) with a primary diagnosis of heart disease for the relevant organisations for 2001-02 to 2005-06 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  National health service hospitals England 
			   Tamworth, Burntwood and Lichfield Primary Care Trust  Staffordshire  West Midlands 
			 2001-02 1,829 12,411 68,596 
			 2002-03 1,834 12,294 74,248 
			 2003-04 1,775 12,519 74,337 
			 2004-05 1,886 12,663 74,429 
			 2005-06 2,069 12,855 78,540 
			  Notes:  Finished consultant episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  Primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of Treatment and SHA of Treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of GP practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. Whilst this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Hyperactivity: Medical Treatments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations her Department has received on the use of diet and brain exercise to control developmental conditions such as Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.

Ivan Lewis: No such representations have been received.
	The Department is not aware of any satisfactory research into the effects of stimulatory exercises in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
	There is some limited evidence for the value of elimination diets that seek to exclude foods to which intolerance exists, but an elimination diet will only help a minority of children and can be difficult to apply. A study on the impact of food supplements on the incidence of aggressive behaviour among young people in custody has demonstrated positive results but further research is required and the study was not specifically focused on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Medical Equipment: VAT

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will extend the range of reduced rate reliefs for VAT on goods and services normally intended to relieve or treat disability for the exclusive personal use of people with disabilities under the sixth EC Directive.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	There is a wide range of goods and services supplied to disabled people for their personal use on which VAT is not chargeable. This includes certain building alterations to a disabled person's home, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and equipment designed solely for use by a disabled person.
	Under the VAT agreements with our European partners, signed by successive Governments, we can retain our existing VAT zero rates, but we may not extend them or introduce new ones. It is therefore not possible to remove VAT from additional goods and service s purchased for the exclusive personal use of a disabled person
	More generally, the Government are carefully considering evidence presented in the recent Low Incomes Tax Reform Group's report 'VAT and disabled people - the changes, including new reduced rates, would be consistent with our European VAT agreements and well-targeted rates, would be consistent with our European VAT agreements and well-targeted and cost-effective when compared with the range of support already provided for people with disabilities.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Minister of State expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 27 February 2007, on GP prescriptions and labelling by pharmacists.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 27 April 2007
	 I regret the letter was not received by the Department. The hon. Member has now forwarded a copy. I will arrange for it to be dealt with urgently.

Mental Health Services

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the delivery of mental health in-patient and day care in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: Since the publication of the National Service Framework for Mental Health in 1999, mental health services in England have seen significant improvements, particularly in access to specialist community-based services that aim to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and the length of in-patient stays. However, in-patient services remain a key element of mental health service provision and a national acute in-patient mental health programme, which is hosted by the Care Services Improvement Partnership and supported by its regional infrastructure, is helping local services in implementing the Department's policy implementation guidance on published in 2002. The Department has also announced that over 2006-07 and 2007-08,130 million of extra capital investment would be targeted to upgrade the mental health estate, particularly in improving psychiatric intensive care units and places of safety for assessment under the Mental Health Act 1983 and enhancing the sexual safety of women.
	In recognition of the important role they play in promoting and facilitating social inclusion, the Department published a good practice guidance on commissioning of day services in 2006. The aim of this guidance is to improve access to mainstream opportunities for people with mental health problems in closer partnership with other agencies and organisations including the voluntary and community sector. The national social inclusion programme, also hosted by the Care Services Improvement Partnership and supported by its regional infrastructure, is helping local services in implementing this guidance in line with their assessment of local need.

Pregnant Women: Depression

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support is provided by the national health service to pregnant women who are suffering depression during pregnancy; what research has been  (a) funded and  (b) carried out by her Department on whether there is a link between depression in pregnant women and (i) premature births, (ii) infant death and (iii) severe childhood illness; when her Department last undertook an evidence review on the issue that drew on (A) UK and (B) international research; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Women who experience mental health problems during or after pregnancy can access the full range of mental health services available in primary and secondary care. The Department has issued guidance, Mainstreaming gender and women's mental health: implementation guidance (DH, 2003), that highlights the need for effective perinatal psychiatric care, specifically the need to develop local care pathways, maternity and psychiatry protocols, access to perinatal psychiatric assessment and adequate mother and baby unit provision based on assessment of local need. Care services improvement partnership's national programme on gender equality and women's mental health is helping local services to implement the recommendations of this guidance. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) also made recommendations in its recent guidance, Antenatal and postnatal mental health (NICE, 2007) to improve services for women who experience mental health problems during or after pregnancy.
	The Department has not funded any such research. However, the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is one of the main agencies through which the United Kingdom Government supports medical and clinical research, has recently funded a study entitled Comparison of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in depressed and healthy pregnant women. The study was led by Dr. Veronica Keane at the Institute of Psychiatry and received MRC funding of 157,700. It was completedin 2006.
	The study found results suggesting that depressed women had higher cortisol stress hormones, particularly a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy (corticotropin releasing-hormone) and that this was associated with earlier delivery of babies in the depressed women. The applicants intend to submit follow up studies to the MRC.
	The Government do not routinely and systematically compare the research it funds in different disease areas with equivalent research in other countries.

Resource Allocation

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2219W, on resource allocation, for what reasons she excludes any measure of ill health in those aged 75 and over in her measure of the burden of disease.

Andy Burnham: The definition of burden of disease used for the previous reply is one of a number of possible definitions. It includes one element, diabetes prevalence, which is not age related, and thereforedoes include persons aged 75 and over. The otherthree measures are premature mortality rates for major killer diseases. They reflect the current public service agreement targets to reduce cancer and circulatory disease death rates in people aged under 75 by 2010. It is in the under 75 age group where the earliest signsof progress are likely to be seen, although thehealth interventions to reduce mortality in this age group will also have a beneficial effect on people aged 75 and over.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Don Touhig: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints the Financial Ombudsman Service received on bank charges in each of the last five years.

Edward Balls: The Financial Services Ombudsman (FOS) is operationally independent of the Government. I understand that over the past five years the FOS has collated data on the basis of current account complaints, not specific complaints on bank charges. The number of complaints relating to current accounts to year-end March was:
	
		
			   Number of complaints 
			 2006 3,543 
			 2005 2,521 
			 2004 2,106 
			 2003 1,602 
			 2002 1,280 
		
	
	Data on inquiries relating specifically to bank charges was collated from September 2006. The number of inquires received relating to bank charges from September 2006 to March 2007 was 150,917.

Child Trust Fund: Middlesbrough

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of children in  (a) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and  (b) the Tees Valley have received a Child Trust Fund account since 1 September 2002.

Edward Balls: All children born on or after 1 September 2002 are eligible for the Child Trust Fund as long as they are in receipt of child benefit, live in the UK and they are not subject to any immigration restrictions. Special arrangements are in place for looked after children. All eligible children will receive a Child Trust Fund account whether opened by parents or the Government on their behalf.
	Constituency and regional data on Child Trust Fund accounts was published on 11 January 2007 and can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs' website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/stats.htm

Crossrail Line: Finance

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to take a final decision on the funding of Crossrail.

Edward Balls: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17 April 2007,  Official Report,column 625W.

Departments: Buildings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many buildings are owned by his Department; and how each is grade listed.

John Healey: The Treasury owns one building,1 Horse Guards Road, which is subject to a private finance initiative contract. Details of the contract can be found in HM Treasury's 2005-06 Resource Account HC 1344. The building is grade II* listed.

Departments: Renewable Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much energy in kilowatt hours was purchased by his Department from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Healey: All the energy purchased by the Treasury is purchased from renewable sources. In 2006-07, the Treasury purchased 7,089,501 kwh of electricity from renewable sources.

Employment

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the size of the  (a) working age and  (b) economically active population in each of the last 30 years, broken down by gender.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 1 May 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the working age population and the economically active population over the last thirty years. 1 am replying in her absence. (134616)
	The attached table gives the working age population by gender from 1978 to 2005 which are based on mid-year population estimates. Mid-2005 population estimates are the latest available. The table also shows the numbers and rates of economically active people of working age by gender for the three months ending February of each year. The ONS uses the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to measure economic activity and this data is seasonally adjusted. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty
	The LFS publishes numbers of economic activity each month in the Labour Market First Release, in summary table 1. The latest Release can be found at:
	http ://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/product.asp?vlnk=8292
	
		
			  Working age population( 1)  and economic activity by gender 1978 to 2007, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand and percentage 
			   Working age population( 2)  Mid year estimates (Thousand)  Economically active( 3)  (Thousand)  Economic activity rates( 4)  (Percentage) 
			   All persons  Men  Women  All persons  Men  Women  All persons  Men  Women 
			 1978 33,172 17,311 15,861 25,542 15,686 9,856 78.4 92.5 63.2 
			 1979 33,436 17,423 16,013 25,713 15,669 10,045 78.3 91.8 63.7 
			 1980 33,607 17,539 16,068 25,923 15,676 10,247 78.4 91.2 64.5 
			 1981 33,780 17,646 16,134 26,157 15,809 10,347 78.6 91.3 64.8 
			 1982 33,916 17,735 16,181 26,067 15,715 10,353 77.9 90.2 64.6 
			 1983 34,160 17,891 16,269 25,857 15,575 10,282 76.9 88.7 63.9 
			 1984 34,416 18,051 16,365 26,477 15,709 10,768 78.1 88.7 66.5 
			 1985 34,586 18,105 16,481 26,896 15,837 11,059 78.8 88.9 67.9 
			 1986 34,725 18,142 16,583 27,063 15,793 11,269 78.9 88.4 68.7 
			 1987 34,877 18,194 16,683 27,302 15,795 11,507 79.3 88.1 69.7 
			 1988 34,983 18,232 16,751 27,633 15,925 11,708 79.9 88.6 70.5 
			 1989 35,079 18,268 16,811 27,886 15,974 11,912 80.4 88.7 71.5 
			 1990 35,147 18,300 16,847 28,049 16,032 12,016 80.7 88.8 71.9 
			 1991 35,197 18,303 16,894 28,002 15,953 12,049 80.4 88.2 71.9 
			 1992 35,206 18,288 16,918 27,636 15,730 11,906 79.2 87.0 70.9 
			 1993 35,208 18,270 16,938 27,505 15,580 11,925 78.8 86.2 70.9 
			 1994 35,256 18,267 16,989 27,405 15,456 11,949 78.5 85.6 70.9 
			 1995 35,366 18,317 17,049 27,312 15,357 11,956 78.1 84.9 70.7 
			 1996 35,498 18,375 17,123 27,533 15,411 12,123 78.4 85.0 71.4 
			 1997 35,624 18,428 17,196 27,651 15,394 12,257 78.5 84.7 71.9 
			 1998 35,746 18,486 17,260 27,683 15,394 12,289 78.3 84.4 71.8 
			 1999 35,928 18,582 17,346 28,005 15,503 12,502 78.8 84.7 72.7 
			 2000 36,138 18,685 17,453 28,141 15,538 12,603 78.8 84.4 72.8 
			 2001 36,406 18,827 17,579 28,312 15,631 12,681 78.8 84.3 72.8 
			 2002 36,622 18,945 17,677 28,407 15,658 12,749 78.5 83.9 72.7 
			 2003 36,828 19,068 17,760 28,606 15,750 12,856 78.6 83.9 73.0 
			 2004 37,064 19,210 17,854 28,821 15,843 12,978 78.7 83.8 73.3 
			 2005 37,368 19,390 17,978 29,069 15,950 13,119 78.8 83.7 73.6 
			 2006 (5) (5) (5) 29,022 15,952 13,071 78.6 83.6 73.3 
			 2007 (5) (5) (5) 28,9.95 15,936 13,059 78.5 83.5 73.2 
			 (1 )Men aged 16 to 64 and women age 16 to 59. (2 )Mid-year population estimates. It should be noted that 2005 are the latest available population estimates. (3 )December-February LFS seasonally adjusted estimate. (4 )Economically active as a percentage of all persons of working age. Economic activity rates are based on LFS household population estimates, not mid year population estimates, (5 )Estimates not available.  Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Mid year population estimates

Income Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 985-6W, on income tax: tax rates and bands, how the figures quoted for the cost of changes in the rate of income tax relate to those on line 22 of table A1, page 208 of the Budget 2007; and whether the same assumptions have been used.

Edward Balls: The answer of 23 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 985-6W, on income tax: tax rates and bands were provided on an accruals basis as stated in the reply. The figures quoted for the cost of changes in the rate of income tax shown on line 22 of table A1, page 208 of the Budget 2007 are based on the same assumptions but have been converted onto a national accounts basis. Paragraph A2.8 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report explains how accruals basis figures are converted onto a national accounts basis.

Income Tax: Overpayments

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people claimed overpayments in their income tax payments in each year since 1997; and how many of these claims were successful.

Edward Balls: The total number of repayments made by HM Revenue and Customs in each financial year since 2001-2002 (the data is not held for earlier years) is as follows (this may include more than one repayment to an individual within the same financial year).
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001-02 6,005,339 
			 2002-03 6,451,203 
			 2003-04 6,594,199 
			 2004-05 6,812,662 
			 2005-06 6,310,385 
			 2006-07 5,926,786 
		
	
	HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information, on the number of people who have claimed overpayments.

Inflation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take in response to recent trends in the rate of inflation;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects of recent trends in the rate of inflation on the British economy.

John Healey: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for the conduct of monetary policy. Under the Chancellor's Remit for the MPC, the operational target for monetary policy is an underlying inflation rate (measured by the 12 month increase in the CPI) of 2 per cent. The Remit was last confirmed on 21 March 2007.
	The Treasury's latest assessment of the economy was published in Budget 2007 (HC 342). Since then, Consumer Price Inflation turned out at 3.1 per cent. in March, This prompted an Open Letter from the Governor of the Bank of England and a reply from the Chancellor which further discussed recent developments and prospects for inflation.
	For its part, the Government will continue to be vigilant and disciplined in the fight against inflation. To that end, the Chancellor announced to Parliament on 1 March 2007 overall headline settlements for public sector workforces covered by Pay Review Bodies are to be less than the 2 per cent. inflation target in 2007-08.

Managed Service Companies

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish the research which led his Department to conclude, in Tackling Managed Service Companies of December 2006, that there are 240,000 workers employed by managed service companies;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the research that led him to conclude in the Red Book 2007 that the measures on managed services companies set out in Schedule 3 of the Finance Bill 2007 will yield 350 million to the Exchequer in 2007-08, 450 million in 2008-09 and 250 million in 2009-10.

John Healey: The Government set out their analysis of the problem of workers operating through Managed Service Companies in the consultation document Tackling Managed Service Companies. This was published at the 2006 pre-Budget report. Evidence was gathered from a wide range of businesses and other interested parties during the consultation process. This evidence was incorporated into the regulatory impact assessment published alongside the Finance Bill and set out in Tackling Managed Companies: summary of consultation responses.

National Income: Darlington

Alan Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the gross domestic product was per head of the resident population in Darlington in each year since 1992.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 1 May 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita for the resident population of Darlington in each year since 1992. I am replying in her absence. (135015)
	The Office for National Statistics publishes regional Gross Value Added (GVA) rather than regional GDP. GVA is the same as GDP except for excluding taxes and subsidies on products. Estimates of GVA for Darlington on a consistent basis are only available for the period 1995 to 2004. These data are shown in table 1.
	Prior to 1995 regional estimates of GDP were produced on a different accounting basis using different methodology and cannot be used to produce a consistent time series with the later data. GDP on this basis only exists for Darlington for the years 1993 and 1994 and these data are shown in table 2.
	Both data-sets are at current prices, therefore the effects of inflation are not taken into account.
	
		
			  Table 1: GVA per Head for Darlington 1995-2004 
			   GVA per head 
			 1995 11,033 
			 1996 11,388 
			 1997 11,837 
			 1998 12,120 
			 1999 12,689 
			 2000 13,270 
			 2001 14,246 
			 2002 14,855 
			 2003 15,605 
			 2004 16,361 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: GDP per Head for Darlington 1993-94 
			   GDP per head 
			 1993 9,137 
			 1994 9,667

Premium Bonds

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value is of premium bond prize money awarded following the death of the holder held by HM Treasury in non-interest bearing accounts.

Edward Balls: NSI only become aware of the death of a customer if they are notified of it as part of the settlement of the estate of the deceased. Where this happens, the normal practice is for the value of the Bonds and any unpaid prizes to be repaid as part of the settlement process. For the remaining unpaid prizes, NSI are unable to distinguish between money which is unclaimed due to a death of which they have not been notified, and that which is unclaimed for other reasons.
	In general terms, however, any Premium Bond prizes which are unclaimed following three months of the draw are classified as unpaid and are held by NSI for a further 21 months (making a total of two years) on a non-interest bearing basis. NS and I currently hold 5,954,984 on this basis, if the prize is still unclaimed two years after the draw it is transferred to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt (CRND).

Premium Bonds

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of premium bond prizes is that were awarded following the death of the bond holder and which were transferred to the National Loans Office in circumstances in which he was authorised to make use of the funds in the last  (a) five years,  (b) 10 years and  (c) 30 years.

Edward Balls: NSI only become aware of the death of a customer if they are notified of it as part of the settlement of the estate of the deceased. Where this happens, the normal practice is for the value of the Bonds and any unpaid prizes to be repaid as part of the settlement process. For the remaining unpaid prizes, NSI are unable to distinguish between money that is unclaimed due to a death of which they have not been notified, and that which is unclaimed for other reasons. It is therefore impossible to give an accurate answer to this question.
	In general terms, however, any Premium Bond prizes which are unclaimed following three months of the draw are classified as unpaid and are held by NSI for a further 21 months (making a total of two years) on a non-interest bearing basis. If the prize is still unclaimed two years after the draw it is transferred to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt (CRNDformerly part of the National Investment and Loans Office).
	The values for the five; 10 and 30 years periods requested are:
	
		
			
			 Transferred in last 5 years: 5,726,400 
			 Transferred in last 10 years: 13,764,586 
			 Transferred in last 30 years: 25,947,211

Taxation: Aviation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the risk of going into liquidation for small town operators as a result of costs imposed by air passenger duty; and what steps he is taking to prevent this.

John Healey: No formal assessment has been conducted. Some small tour operators, have written to the Chancellor about the Government's decision, but I am not aware that any have expressed a risk of insolvency.
	No provision exists to extend Government help in these specific circumstances and it is doubtful whether it would be legal to distinguish between operators in this way or to offer assistance to the sector under EU state aid rules.

Taxation: Quarrying

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal incentives are in place to discourage quarrying and promote the use of alternative raw materials to protect the environment.

John Healey: The aggregates levy ensures that the external costs associated with exploitation of aggregate are reflected in the price of aggregate. The price increase reduces demand for and encourages efficient use of freshly quarried aggregate materials.
	The levy is also structured to promote use of alternatives to virgin aggregates from more sustainable sources, such as recycled demolition waste and slate waste, by granting these materials exemption from the levy.
	The levy is part of a package of environmental measures (including the landfill tax and climate change levy) designed to encourage more efficient processes, environmental awareness and sustainable development. Research shows the levy, as part of this package, is helping meet the Government's policy aims. For example, Great Britain has seen a reduction in sales of virgin aggregate by around 18 million tonnes between 2001 and 2005 and an increases in the use of recycled aggregate in England of around 5.5 million tonnes.

Teenage Pregnancy: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many girls under the age of 16 years  (a) became pregnant and  (b) gave birth in (i) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk county council area in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 1 May 2007:
	 The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many girls under the age of 16 years (a) became pregnant and (b) gave birth in (i) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk County Council area in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age. I am replying in her absence. (134691)
	Numbers of conceptions in Suffolk County for the years 1996-2005 (the most recent year for which figures are available) are shown in the table below. Figures for 2005 are provisional.
	Figures on under 16 pregnancies are estimated using the number of conceptions that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or legal termination.
	Information on conceptions is routinely published for local authorities and strategic health authorities. Figures cannot be provided by parliamentary constituency because of the risk of disclosing individual's information, due to small differences between the parliamentary constituency and local authority boundaries.
	ONS does not publish figures by single year of age below the age of 16 by either local or health authority because of the risk of disclosing individual's information.
	Numbers of maternities in Suffolk County for the years 1996-2005 are shown in the table below.
	Maternity counts are for girls aged under 16 in each year at which either one or more live birth or stillbirth occurred.
	Birth figures cannot be provided for Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency for the same reason as provided for conceptions.
	
		
			  Number of conceptions and maternities to girls aged under 16, Suffolk, 1996-2005 
			   Conceptions  Maternities 
			 1996 82 12 
			 1997 89 12 
			 1998 71 12 
			 1999 58 14 
			 2000 62 5 
			 2001 73 12 
			 2002 75 13 
			 2003 93 19 
			 2004 73 12 
			 2005(1) 73 9 
			 (1) Conceptions for 2005 are provisional.

VAT

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact on VAT receipts of the changes set out in Schedule 3 of the Finance Bill 2007.

John Healey: The net yield from the changes set out in schedule 3 of the Finance Bill 2007 is set out at Table A2 of the Budget 2007 book.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether people of whom HM Revenue and Customs have no records and who illegally pay no tax are included within the estimates of those entitled to receive tax credits in the Family Resource Survey cited in HM Revenue and Customs' Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit Take-up rates 2004-05;
	(2)  whether the figures in the HM Revenue and Customs document Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit Take-up rates 2004-05 take account of an estimate of  (a) the amounts which were fraudulently claimed and  (b) the number of couples fraudulently claiming to be lone parents.

Stephen Timms: The methodology used by HMRC in producing the child and working tax credits take-up statistics is detailed in pages 13 to 17 of the HMRC publication Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit Take-up Rates 2004-05, which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm
	The number of recipients of tax credits is drawn from HMRC administrative data. HMRC have a range of compliance processes in place to ensure that only claims from those eligible for tax credits are put into payment. This includes cross checking income information from the tax credit claim form against other HMRC systems.
	The number of entitled non-recipients of tax credits is estimated from the Family Resources Survey and the British Household Panel Survey. Survey data received by HM Revenue and Customs are anonymised. It is not therefore possible to establish whether particular families are non-compliant with respect to tax or tax credits.
	The methodology minimises the effect of non compliance on the take-up rate figures as the recipient population is included both in the numerator and denominator of the calculation.

Darfur

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will make a statement on the security situation in the Darfur region.

Ian McCartney: Security remains precarious. Humanitarian agencies face increasing banditry. The Sudanese Government resumed bombing villages in Darfur last week, resulting in a number of civilian injuries and deaths. We condemn these attacks, which show little regard for human life. They violated UNSCR 1591 and must cease immediately. All sides to the conflict must commit to the peace process or face further measures in the Security Council.

Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role she expects the European Union Security and Defence Policy policing mission to Afghanistan to play in the field of counter narcotics; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The European Union Security and Defence Policy policing mission to Afghanistan aims to raise the quality of policing in Afghanistan. The mission contains an objective to integrate the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan into the wider police force in order to factor counter narcotics into all law enforcement efforts.

Business: Corruption

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which UK officials attended the last three meetings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions.

Ian McCartney: Each meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Working Group on Bribery takes place over three days. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads the UK delegation and not all UK officials attend every session of each meeting. In total, the following UK officials attended the last three meetings:
	The October 2006 meeting was attended by one official from the FCO; one from the City of London Police; one from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); one from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
	The January meeting was attended by three officials from the FCO; one from the Attorney General's Office; three from the SFO; one from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police; two from the CPS; one from the City of London Police; one from the Home Office (HO).
	The March meeting was attended by four officials from the FCO; one from the Attorney General's Office; two from the SFO; one from the CPS; one from the MOD Police; two from the City of London Police; one from the HO; one from the Department for International Development.

Business: Corruption

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the  (a) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and  (b) OECD member states on the publicisation of the work of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions as it affects investigations in the UK.

Ian McCartney: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery regularly publicises aspects of its work, for example by press statements on the Group's country monitoring reports. Such press statements are discussed and agreed in plenary by all members of the group. However, the group operates under an understanding that the country being monitored has the right to comment on the text, but foregoes its right to block the final text.
	As the hon. Member is aware, recent meetings of this group in January and March have discussed, among other subjects, the circumstances surrounding the discontinuance of the Serious Fraud Office's investigation into allegations about BAE Systems' activities in Saudi Arabia. At the end of both the January and March meetings, the group agreed a press statement on the UK under the established procedure described above. In the run-up to and during these meetings, British officials discussed with the OECD Secretariat and partner OECD governments various relevant aspects including possible options for press communications, and how those might be organised. This included proposals for a formal press briefing at the end of the March meeting.
	Since the March meeting of the Working Group, there have been no formal press communications proposed. British officials have therefore made no further representations concerning the group's media activities.

Dhabihu'llah Mahrami

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of the expropriation of the home of Mr. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, who died in prison in Iran on 15 December 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have not received reports of the expropriation of the home of Mr. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, but we are prepared to take farther action as appropriate.
	We understand that Mr. Mahrami died in custody on 15 December 2005. Mr. Mahrami's case had previously appeared on the EU list of cases of concern used in the EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue. The EU raised the death of Mr. Mahrami in a meeting with the Iranian authorities on 31 January 2006 and handed over a note verbale requesting further information.
	We continue to have concerns about the situation of religious minorities in Iran and treatment of the Baha'i community in particular. We often receive reports of discrimination against Baha'is in Iran.
	We continue to press the Iranian authorities to take seriously their international human rights obligations, uphold the right to freedom of religion and belief, as described in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and address the discrimination suffered by Iranian Baha'is. The UN General Assembly Resolution about the human rights situation in Iran, adopted in December 2006 and co-sponsored by the EU, expressed serious concern at
	the disregard of property rights, including through de facto expropriation as noted in the report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing
	and
	the escalation and increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against members of the Baha'i Faith.

Iran: Discrimination

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have made representations to the Iranian authorities on the treatment of the Baha'i faith and the Baha'i community by leading Iranian media outlets; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We continue to have concerns about the situation of religious minorities in Iran, and treatment of the Baha'i community in particular. We regularly receive reports of intimidation and discrimination against Baha'is in Iran.
	We remain concerned about reports that Iranian newspapers including Keyhan, have been carrying out a propaganda campaign against the Baha'i community. We raised our concerns about this in an EU demarche on 11 April 2006. And on 10 April 2006, EU Foreign Ministers underlined their
	continued concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, in particular regarding the situation of the Baha'is.
	We continue to raise the situation of the Baha'is with the Iranian authorities, bilaterally and through the EU. We also take action at the UN and in December 2006, we along with all EU countries, co-sponsored a resolution on human rights in Iran, which expressed serious concern at
	the escalation and increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against members of the Baha'i Faith.

Iraq: Police

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made since July 2006 on achieving the milestones for police reform in the Iraqi provinces of  (a) Al Basrah,  (b) Al Muthanna,  (c) Dhi Qar and  (d) Maysan; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Since my reply to the hon. Member on 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1267W, the following progress has been made against milestones.
	In Basra, there has been progress against milestones for police training, infrastructure and operational capability. 87 per cent. of police are now trained (increase from 63 per cent.) and the majority of training is now carried out by the Iraqis. Over 80 per cent. of police stations in Basra city are assessed as being largely or fully capable of carrying out their duties. The notorious 'Serious Crimes Unit' was disbanded by the December 2006 operation and a functioning Department of Internal Affairs has been established to investigate, arrest and prosecute corrupt police officers. Significant challenges do remain with the Basra police and we will continue to engage in reform activity.
	The provinces of Dhi Qar(1) and Maysan have been approved for transfer to Provincial Iraqi Control and were transferred on 21 September 2006 and 18 April 2007 respectively. The police forces in these provinces are now fully equipped and are judged by the National Civilian Policing Assistance Training Team, as being largely capable.
	(1 )The Italian contingent of Multi-National Force-Iraq has always had responsibility for police assistance in Dhi Qar province.

Ministerial Changes

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has undertaken work in preparation for a change of Prime Minister; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's objective is to deliver the foreign policy priorities of the elected Government over the course of a Parliament, and that is what it is focussing on.

North Korea: Arms Trade

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the extent of North Korea's arms trade; which countries North Korea  (a) exports arms to and  (b) imports arms from; what discussions she has had with her United Nations counterparts on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) does not publish details of its arms exports and imports. However, independent organisations publish estimates, for example the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which gives estimates of the DPRK's arms imports and exports for 1995-2005.
	The DPRK is considered to be the world's most prolific supplier of ballistic missiles and related technology to countries of concern. During negotiations for the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1718, the UK discussed with international partners in the UN ways to curb the DPRK proliferation of missiles and Weapons of Mass Destruction-related materials around the world. UNSCR 1718, adopted in October 2006, imposes a ban on the export to the DPRK of nuclear and ballistic-missile goods and technologies, a ban on the export of arms to the DPRK, a ban on technical assistance and advice related to all these items and a ban on the export by the DPRK of proliferation-sensitive goods and technologies. The UK and its partners will continue to urge the DPRK to comply with UNSCR 1718 and resume its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

North Korea: UN Resolutions

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of international compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1718, on North Korea; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The UN Security Council's Sanctions Committee for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea meets regularly, in accordance with its mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1718. Part of its mandate is to seek information from all States on implementation. On 16 April the Committee reported to the Security Council that 68 countries had submitted reports on their progress on implementation of the resolution. We continue to support the work of the Sanctions Committee in monitoring implementation of, and compliance with, the resolution.

Shiekh Hasina

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to clarify with the Government in Bangladesh the position of Sheikh Hasina.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the position of Sheikh Hasina with Dr. Iftekhar Chowdhury, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser on 19 April. I note that the caretaker government has since lifted the restriction on Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh.

Sudan: Human Rights

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council High Level Mission to Sudan.

Ian McCartney: The High Level Mission on Human Rights in Darfur reported gross and systematic violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law in Darfur. The report recommended more effective protection through: the deployment of the UN/African Union peacekeeping force and more human rights monitors; a ceasefire and negotiated peace; effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and on-going donor support; and tackling impunity, including through Government of Sudan co-operation with the International Criminal Court.
	Following the report's publication I, and the UK Permanent Representative to the Human Rights Council (HRC), called on the Council to take effective action on Darfur and support the reports recommendations. I made clear to the Sudanese Justice Minister that it was unacceptable that Sudan had not co-operated with the High Level Mission.
	The UK, with our EU Partners, played a key role in getting the HRC to adopt a resolution on 30 March supporting the implementation of the Mission's recommendations. The resolution created a mechanism to ensure the Government of Sudan implements all existing UN recommendations on human rights in Darfur, and for a further report on human rights in Darfur to be presented to the fifth session of the HRC, 11-18 June.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely levels of co-operation of the Government of Sudan with the UN/AMIS peacekeeping force for Darfur.

Ian McCartney: The Government of Sudan has agreed to the Heavy Support Package of United Nations' support to the African Union (AU). But this is only a step towards the joint UN-AU Hybrid operation needed to provide protection to Darfur's citizens. The Government of Sudan must agree to the Hybrid force and co-operate fully with its implementation. If they do not honour their commitments we are prepared to introduce tougher measures.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will discuss the setting up of an AU-UN force operational within Darfur with the Chinese Government.

Ian McCartney: We regularly discuss Darfur with the Chinese Government including at the UN. We want China to use its considerable influence with the Sudanese Government to help ensure Khartoum supports deployment of joint African Union/UN peacekeeping in Darfur, as well as a ceasefire and renewed political process. We gave this message to the Chinese Government before President Hu's visit to Africa earlier this year. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister also raised Darfur on 23 April, during his recent visit to China.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the capacity of the French air force in Chad to monitor a no-fly zone over Darfur.

Ian McCartney: We have not made a military assessment of the French air force's capacity in Chad to monitor a no fly zone over Darfur. The French military have long-standing ties with Chad and any such measure would also require the Chadian government's consent.
	We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Darfur. We are discussing new measures in the UN Security Council. They could include measures to allow better air monitoring of the violence in Darfur and the possibility of imposing a No Fly Zone.

UN Human Rights Council

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the decision in March by the UN Human Rights Council to end its scrutiny of Iran and Uzbekistan; and whether the UK has made representations to the Council on the decision.

Margaret Beckett: At its fourth session, 12-30 March 2007, the UN Human Rights Council discontinued consideration of specific cases relating to Iran and Uzbekistan under its confidential complaints procedure. The confidential nature of that procedure prevents us from commenting on any details of the cases, and on the position taken by the UK. We do, however, emphasise strongly our deep concern over persistent violations of human rights in both Uzbekistan and Iran, and our corresponding belief that the UN should address these situations. For that reason, the UK co-sponsored the resolution passed by the UN General Assembly last autumn on the human rights situation in Iran; and the attempted resolution on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, which unfortunately failed to pass a vote in the General Assembly's Third Committee, also last autumn. The independent UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights questions have frequently commented on issues in Iran and Uzbekistan in the course of their work; that work continues.

Whales: Conservation

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department has taken to promote internationally the publication Protecting Whales: A Global Responsibility fromthe Department for Environment, Food and RuralAffairs.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office initially distributed copies of the publication to 57 Posts, in countries identified as being particularly important in the run-up to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) 59. In consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, we shall be distributing more widely to include posts accredited to all IWC member countries and others where there may be value in doing so.

World Bank

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her international counterparts concerning the World Bank president; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: UK policy on the World Bank is the responsibility of the Department for International Development. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development is the UK Representative on the World Bank Board of Governors.